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One of Canada’s most famous waterparks is temporarily closed as it undergoes a $2.5 million renovation.
West Edmonton Mall’s World Waterpark will be closed to the public until Sept. 26 as crews, among other things, repaint the 50,000-square-foot wave pool.
When it reopens it will do so in a limited capacity. It will be back to full capacity on Oct. 6.
Spokesperson Darcy Hewson said other work includes newly renovated cabanas, additional bathroom facilities near the beach and new beach area flooring and upgraded signage throughout. “These improvements will enhance the overall experience for over half a million World Waterpark guests annually,” Hewson said in an email.

Here's to another 10 years of construction!

WEM is like a small city in itself. Always construction going on somewhere.

Halloween Alley is open in the old West 49 space- don’t know if that got mentioned yet. Pretty much the same old stuff, with some ancient merchandise (Ever After High costumes still?). No moving/roaring mechanical scares this time, though.

The Disney Store is super decked out for Halloween, and has already turned their Christmas ornament tree into a wall displayer, probably for ease of access.

The water park had a bit of water in it while guys were doing work on another part of it. How long are these Renos supposed to take?

Looks like The Shaving Kit is toast. Everything was gutted. Holy cow, what a bad location. You’d literally never see it unless you used that entrance or were checking out the hotel.

International Clothiers opened in its new location on the upper floor- old a Target space. It’ll be weird for this old Zellers employee to go in there now .

Nothing else different that I can see. I was too late for Galaxyland (stupid bus waited at the UofA, and got caught in monster 5pm traffic)- when do they add horror stuff? I must be getting old, because that feels like yesterday when they last had it.

It was the store where coco70 is now going it had been moved into the old ripcurl location next to bikini village

Ah, I remember that spot for the old shop. I didn’t see where the new one was, though. Kinda sad when a loooooooooooonnnnnngggggggg term tenant goes away. I’d always associated that belt-rack with that part of the mall, lol. Really changes the dynamic of the place.

It was the store where coco70 is now going it had been moved into the old ripcurl location next to bikini village

Ah, I remember that spot for the old shop. I didn’t see where the new one was, though. Kinda sad when a loooooooooooonnnnnngggggggg term tenant goes away. I’d always associated that belt-rack with that part of the mall, lol. Really changes the dynamic of the place.

you can thank the amazon era for all these places shutting down i dont remember the last time i have seen the mall with this many hordings

In Edmonton, Louis Vuitton says that it plans to open a standalone store at West Edmonton Mall in 2019, which will be approximately the same size as the CF Chinook Centre store in Calgary (which is scheduled to open on November 1, according to Vuitton). The West Edmonton Mall store would replace an existing concession at Holt Renfrew in downtown Edmonton and with that loss, the future of Edmonton’s Holt Renfrew is more uncertain than ever.

Also lets imagine and could it work. Holt Renfrew opens in the old Sears space, assuming its available, and making that wing a new high end luxury wing sort of unto itself. Or even a Saks Fifth Avenue.

Was at the mall today with a friend- I was looking for walled-up shops, but only saw a few of them. Maybe it's because I visit Kingsway routinely, but WEM has never looked particularly bad for stores being shuttered . That one place that was selling some kind of crackling ice cream appears to have existed for only a few weeks or something, because I think I saw it exactly once before it vanished. Did anyone else see that? In the old Tutti-Frutti location, by Games Workshop and the soap place?

Any particular highlights any of you all miss, from stores that have shut down? I liked that dinosaur-related shop, and sadly never got to go into the "touring" part (I should have just gone in alone, but I was always waiting for a friend so I didn't have to. Did anyone ever go? Was it any good?). Millennium was a great shop when you're a teen, but looks kind of lame once you hit 21 or so.

Was at the mall today with a friend- I was looking for walled-up shops, but only saw a few of them. Maybe it's because I visit Kingsway routinely, but WEM has never looked particularly bad for stores being shuttered . That one place that was selling some kind of crackling ice cream appears to have existed for only a few weeks or something, because I think I saw it exactly once before it vanished. Did anyone else see that? In the old Tutti-Frutti location, by Games Workshop and the soap place?

Any particular highlights any of you all miss, from stores that have shut down? I liked that dinosaur-related shop, and sadly never got to go into the "touring" part (I should have just gone in alone, but I was always waiting for a friend so I didn't have to. Did anyone ever go? Was it any good?). Millennium was a great shop when you're a teen, but looks kind of lame once you hit 21 or so.

Fun fact millennium was owned by the same person who owns bubble and gum and the other candy stores

Was at the mall today with a friend- I was looking for walled-up shops, but only saw a few of them. Maybe it's because I visit Kingsway routinely, but WEM has never looked particularly bad for stores being shuttered . That one place that was selling some kind of crackling ice cream appears to have existed for only a few weeks or something, because I think I saw it exactly once before it vanished. Did anyone else see that? In the old Tutti-Frutti location, by Games Workshop and the soap place?

Any particular highlights any of you all miss, from stores that have shut down? I liked that dinosaur-related shop, and sadly never got to go into the "touring" part (I should have just gone in alone, but I was always waiting for a friend so I didn't have to. Did anyone ever go? Was it any good?). Millennium was a great shop when you're a teen, but looks kind of lame once you hit 21 or so.

Fun fact millennium was owned by the same person who owns bubble and gum and the other candy stores

Was at the mall today with a friend- I was looking for walled-up shops, but only saw a few of them. Maybe it's because I visit Kingsway routinely, but WEM has never looked particularly bad for stores being shuttered . That one place that was selling some kind of crackling ice cream appears to have existed for only a few weeks or something, because I think I saw it exactly once before it vanished. Did anyone else see that? In the old Tutti-Frutti location, by Games Workshop and the soap place?

Any particular highlights any of you all miss, from stores that have shut down? I liked that dinosaur-related shop, and sadly never got to go into the "touring" part (I should have just gone in alone, but I was always waiting for a friend so I didn't have to. Did anyone ever go? Was it any good?). Millennium was a great shop when you're a teen, but looks kind of lame once you hit 21 or so.

Fun fact millennium was owned by the same person who owns bubble and gum and the other candy stores

It's all good Magnus....I was thinking the exact same thing...back in the day - kids that loitered there were obviously called "Mallrats." But now I'm wondering what do they call serial employees of various Mall stores? Mall sh&theads? I really wanna know!

Was at the mall today- checked out Bubble & Gum and DM and I gossiped about the rest of y'all . Got some good stuff (KOOL-AID IN UNUSUAL FLAVORS, GUYS! Grocery stores never have that!). Those "flower buds" actually taste like how flowers smell.

Some big waterpark thing was going on at night- it looks nice, but same-y (I guess they changed the color of the pool bottom). One of these days, I should actually go in there. But I'd have to buy swim trunks. And not go in alone like some weirdo. I mean, who's gonna watch my stuff while I go down a slide or whatever?

Places keep renovating and moving around- I guess David's Tea moved. Cacao hasn't opened up yet. CHAPTERS of all places is re-branding to Indigo for some reason- being 90% boarded up for no reason of course makes it look CLOSED, which is a terrible idea.

The Disney Store was advertising some of their new fancy dolls recently, but now all of a sudden there's only one still visible, even though the others haven't gone on sale yet. Were those just teasers or something? Or did someone steal them? I mean, they were RIGHT next to the entrance. That's a ton of free money on eBay if someone was smart about it.

It occurs to me that in like 10-15 years of that store being around, I don't think I've ever seen an employee of Collector's Edge NOT just sitting casually behind the till, just hanging out. Maybe it's because I only shop late, but those guys never move, and are always two to a till. And I never see the MERCHANDISE really move- how does this place stay open? It's a monster location, and rent in this mall is insane.

Bubba Gump continues to be incredibly busy. People online laugh when I tell them that it's like Edmonton's busiest restaurant right now - "What does that say about Edmonton's cuisine?". To be fair, it's not like WEM has a huge amount of fine dining.

Was at the mall today- checked out Bubble & Gum and DM and I gossiped about the rest of y'all . Got some good stuff (KOOL-AID IN UNUSUAL FLAVORS, GUYS! Grocery stores never have that!). Those "flower buds" actually taste like how flowers smell.

Some big waterpark thing was going on at night- it looks nice, but same-y (I guess they changed the color of the pool bottom). One of these days, I should actually go in there. But I'd have to buy swim trunks. And not go in alone like some weirdo. I mean, who's gonna watch my stuff while I go down a slide or whatever?

Places keep renovating and moving around- I guess David's Tea moved. Cacao hasn't opened up yet. CHAPTERS of all places is re-branding to Indigo for some reason- being 90% boarded up for no reason of course makes it look CLOSED, which is a terrible idea.

The Disney Store was advertising some of their new fancy dolls recently, but now all of a sudden there's only one still visible, even though the others haven't gone on sale yet. Were those just teasers or something? Or did someone steal them? I mean, they were RIGHT next to the entrance. That's a ton of free money on eBay if someone was smart about it.

It occurs to me that in like 10-15 years of that store being around, I don't think I've ever seen an employee of Collector's Edge NOT just sitting casually behind the till, just hanging out. Maybe it's because I only shop late, but those guys never move, and are always two to a till. And I never see the MERCHANDISE really move- how does this place stay open? It's a monster location, and rent in this mall is insane.

Bubba Gump continues to be incredibly busy. People online laugh when I tell them that it's like Edmonton's busiest restaurant right now - "What does that say about Edmonton's cuisine?". To be fair, it's not like WEM has a huge amount of fine dining.

It was nice meeting you man lol but yeah they finally repainted the bottom of the pool back to its normal state it looks so much better now hopefully they don't wait another 30 years to repaint it. David's tea is just getting a reno I'm not sure if they actually moved somewhere else in the mall till their regular spot is ready. That Elsa doll thing only 400 bucks pish that's cheap bro get it LOL. Collectors edge is like how BNG is honestly they get spirts of people going and potentially buying things.

Of course it's the busiest restaurant....doesn't mean its the best. Massive Yankee chains like that will always attract a crowd....anyway here's a tidbit about chains - want to know the busiest restaurant in Vegas - 18 years ago? Cheesecake Factory in the Forum Shops - not the best but the busiest - at the time....

1. Holy time delay reaction. Maybe you had time because you haven’t yet Replacemented all over the RAM thread yet today.

2. You just can’t quit me. I hardy ever post because any thread I might want to check in on, before I know it I’m wading hip-deep through so much Replacement that when the never-ending heavy flow of Replacement picks up I fear for my safety. To be swept away in fast-moving mountain rapids is one thing... but by Replacement?

1. Holy time delay reaction. Maybe you had time because you haven’t yet Replacemented all over the RAM thread yet today.

2. You just can’t quit me. I hardy ever post because any thread I might want to check in on, before I know it I’m wading hip-deep through so much Replacement that when the never-ending heavy flow of Replacement picks up I fear for my safety. To be swept away in fast-moving mountain rapids is one thing... but by Replacement?

3. Yeah you enjoy a bit of the bullying too.

You established the framework of Meds and others reaction and then blamed them for it. I have this reaction with few posters. But given your username is dialog and what you bring here, and you've acknowledged as much, you have it coming.

If you want to adopt a different tact here then by all means, no worries, I'll note the difference and respond accordingly.

"if god exists and he allowed that to happen, then its better that he doesn't exist"

The Halloween decorations are largely all up in Galaxyland, including the pretty gory ones. My friend's kid was not impressed, lol. Apparently that kids play area down on the bottom floor is REALLY good- was this always there? I don't recall checking out the specifics of every place in Galaxyland, since I don't really do the rides.

Me, I still miss the "old rides graveyard" that used to be visible under the rollercoaster. If you looked WAY back against the wall, they had some of the equipment from run-down, exiled or broken attractions. It was a fun look at ages past. They probably threw all that stuff away since then.

The Rec Room now has a MASSIVE Halo machine (same as South Edmonton Common's location), which replaces one of the Street Fighter IV machines. And for the first time EVER, I actually saw someone play that game with the lumberjack cutting down the tree (which has, until now, pretty much sat there airing its intro for the entirety of every time I've ever been in this joint). It must be a French game or something- it even has improper spelling- "Ups" instead of "Oops" for when you make a mistake!

hmmm... what else? Saw some ne'er-do-well youngsters booted out by the mall police. The first time I've seen that for people who weren't either obviously crazy/screaming at other patrons, or drunken jerks.

So I made an unexpected trip to the mall today, as I was done at the Valley Zoo at like 4, and the mall was close enough to walk to (whose slow butt did they record on the Map function? 1 hour 19 minutes? I made it in less than 55!).

One of the locations in the food court by the Sunrise & Movie Theatre area was closed. I don't recall what was in there before, though.

I spent some time just looking at stuff in the SportChek- this is really one of the more impressive stores in the mall, though I feel they just CRAM way too much stuff onto the shelves, ruining sight lines and making it look cluttered. I wonder how much staff this place has- I swear I see no less than 25 people working AT A TIME, which is crazy expensive. I'd imagine the prices they charge pay off a bit- most of the stuff here is really pricey.

A LOT of "Air Jordan" merchandise. When did that "Jumping Man" logo make a comeback? I feel like i haven't seen that in ages. Almost everything else is Under Armor. By contrast, Adidas gear all looks very "80s" to me now. Fashion trends are a harsh mistress.

The Rec Room was solidly busy, as they charge half-price for games on Wednesdays. I really have to declare this place a huge success- it's almost always busy every time I check, unless it's the middle of the week at 10 pm. I never see the SEC location busy, but I usually time it for late on a Sunday, so I can't really give a fair assessment.

The Pet Store was all out of cats & dogs this time around, and just had rabbits. I keep waiting to hear about another disaster befalling this joint.

Now I know I wasn't crazy- two girls were walking around one of the low-traffic areas (by the Comex Hobby/Warhammer/Gym wing) dressed up like Disney Princesses- Ariel & the live-action Cinderella. And I KNOW I'd seen them one time a few months ago (that time, it was by the Ice Palace)! They just sort of walk around taking pictures with people- is this a hobby, or their job? I was all ready to go out and buy an engagement ring, but then I got a closer look and NOPE- half my age, lol. They were around for a couple of minutes, but I went into a shop and then didn't see them again.

^pretty sure the Disney characters might be a promotion for Disney on Ice in November. They really make a point of making tickets really inexpensive and getting people out to experience Disney who may not be able to afford the trip to Disneyland.

Was at the mall today- checked out Bubble & Gum and DM and I gossiped about the rest of y'all . Got some good stuff (KOOL-AID IN UNUSUAL FLAVORS, GUYS! Grocery stores never have that!). Those "flower buds" actually taste like how flowers smell.

Some big waterpark thing was going on at night- it looks nice, but same-y (I guess they changed the color of the pool bottom). One of these days, I should actually go in there. But I'd have to buy swim trunks. And not go in alone like some weirdo. I mean, who's gonna watch my stuff while I go down a slide or whatever?

Places keep renovating and moving around- I guess David's Tea moved. Cacao hasn't opened up yet. CHAPTERS of all places is re-branding to Indigo for some reason- being 90% boarded up for no reason of course makes it look CLOSED, which is a terrible idea.

The Disney Store was advertising some of their new fancy dolls recently, but now all of a sudden there's only one still visible, even though the others haven't gone on sale yet. Were those just teasers or something? Or did someone steal them? I mean, they were RIGHT next to the entrance. That's a ton of free money on eBay if someone was smart about it.

It occurs to me that in like 10-15 years of that store being around, I don't think I've ever seen an employee of Collector's Edge NOT just sitting casually behind the till,a just hanging out. Maybe it's because I only shop late, but those guys never move, and are always two to a till. And I never see the MERCHANDISE really move- how does this place stay open? It's a monster location, and rent in this mall is insane.

Bubba Gump continues to be incredibly busy. People online laugh when I tell them that it's like Edmonton's busiest restaurant right now - "What does that say about Edmonton's cuisine?". To be fair, it's not like WEM has a huge amount of fine dining.

All the Chapters are being rebranded to Indigo.

Admist all the hoarded up stores does Louis Vuitton have a spot saying opening soon?

Unfortunately, I'm not sure. I never usually notice stores like that. That's interesting about Chapters. I always wondered why they had so many different store names.

But isn't "Chapters" a better name for a BOOK STORE than "Indigo"? I would think so.

^pretty sure the Disney characters might be a promotion for Disney on Ice in November. They really make a point of making tickets really inexpensive and getting people out to experience Disney who may not be able to afford the trip to Disneyland.

Hmmm, that makes sense. I can't remember when I last saw them- I think a month or so ago.

Unfortunately, I'm not sure. I never usually notice stores like that. That's interesting about Chapters. I always wondered why they had so many different store names.

But isn't "Chapters" a better name for a BOOK STORE than "Indigo"? I would think so.

^pretty sure the Disney characters might be a promotion for Disney on Ice in November. They really make a point of making tickets really inexpensive and getting people out to experience Disney who may not be able to afford the trip to Disneyland.

Hmmm, that makes sense. I can't remember when I last saw them- I think a month or so ago.

Had a walk through the renovated casino a few weeks ago. Huge improvement. I loved the entrance and the new gaming area. I also enjoyed walking through the mall and not seeing anything under construction/renovation. I thought the interior of the mall was looking good.

Lol- the pet store is shuttered again. This time, however, they’ve announced reopening near The Bay. Nothing there yet, though- the Mall Info booth people told me it just hasn’t opened yet, but will be by SlerpCountry. That’s a major location downgrade... but is probably for the best.

But man, that end of the mall looks AWFUL now. Looks like 100 feet of just boards. You can barely see Coin& Stamp begins the Indigo and Pet stores being boarded up.

I’d miss the pet store, as it’s a fun place to visit and see kitties, but holy crap they really need to just sell rescues. It’s so bad to still have the “shop, don’t adopt” approach these days.

Lol- the pet store is shuttered again. This time, however, they’ve announced reopening near The Bay. Nothing there yet, though- the Mall Info booth people told me it just hasn’t opened yet, but will be by SlerpCountry. That’s a major location downgrade... but is probably for the best.

But man, that end of the mall looks AWFUL now. Looks like 100 feet of just boards. You can barely see Coin& Stamp begins the Indigo and Pet stores being boarded up.

I’d miss the pet store, as it’s a fun place to visit and see kitties, but holy crap they really need to just sell rescues. It’s so bad to still have the “shop, don’t adopt” approach these days.

You were in the mall and you didnt come see me!!!! im super offended now

So I found out where they will be putting LV it will be taking banana republic space and the haircut place will be their storage area (source: the lady who works at hair de moda that moved closer to the hotel) also the old my pet location is apparently gonna be anaurora cannabis store or something

So I found out where they will be putting LV it will be taking banana republic space and the haircut place will be their storage area (source: the lady who works at hair de moda that moved closer to the hotel) also the old my pet location is apparently gonna be anaurora cannabis store or something

Wait what? LV is gonna open a store here in Edmonton?!?!?! I mean... not like I could accord a single item from there but wow!

So I found out where they will be putting LV it will be taking banana republic space and the haircut place will be their storage area (source: the lady who works at hair de moda that moved closer to the hotel) also the old my pet location is apparently gonna be anaurora cannabis store or something

Wait what? LV is gonna open a store here in Edmonton?!?!?! I mean... not like I could accord a single item from there but wow!

Was at the mall for a bit today (didn't see ya, DM, or else I'd have stopped in, lol).

The Pet Plus has reopened in its new location- nice flooring and it looks well-maintained... but WOW what a step down. It's a TINY shop, barely the size of the Game City in that same hallway, with no room for a "kitten room" or anything like that. There was one guy in the store, and if they'd had any more, it would have been too crowded. It has 4-6 large kennels in the back, and a rack full of dog beds and food- the usual things. But there's probably 1/4 the stuff they used to have. It's actually kind of depressing... but probably more realistic in terms of what a place like that can afford these days. Their old location was positively GIGANTIC, and even reducing their floorspace (and giving it to Chapters) wasn't helping. HOPEFULLY this can fix their problem.

It's too bad, though- like I said before, it was always fun to visit the place, even if selling dogs & cats these days is pretty unethical.

London Drugs tore out one of their tills- the one closest to the service desk. Given how I've literally never seen more than two lanes open at a time in this location, perhaps it's for the best, but they might just be replacing it or throwing in self-scan or something. But seriously, I've seen this place at 5pm on a Saturday with on SD guy and one lane open.

Some of the hallway vendors were extra-annoying today- usually I don't get bothered, but today I had a couple of the "SIR! HOW ARE YOU!" things going on while they waved tiny baggies at me.

Oddly, I saw a clearly homeless-looking man shuffling about the mall at around 9pm- that's something I've literally never seen in this mall, which usually has a crack security team/police force (I saw them getting a "hands in the pockets" dude who was loitering in Galaxyland to move along as well).

I went around the casino again (I tried in mid-October, but they were randomly checking IDs and mine had literally expired the week before so they wouldn't let me in- this time, nobody stopped me or even checked my bag- their security is SO random here)- it seemed a bit more "open", possibly because I'd had the floorplan in my head by this point. It's a bit "shorter" than it used to be, as the back area is now for poker and that restaurant- it took me a bit to rationalize this area with the old one- I had to look at the large floor-to-ceiling windows to get a sense of where things used to be.

It's interesting how many of the machines are just penny-slots. And how often the machines are just scattered about- I saw several duplicates. The advertising is a bit funny, as clearly old ladies use these more often, but the majority of the slot machines have exotic comely maidens on them instead of, like, pictures of ribbon candy or receipts to return, or whatever old ladies like .

London Drugs tore out one of their tills- the one closest to the service desk. Given how I've literally never seen more than two lanes open at a time in this location, perhaps it's for the best, but they might just be replacing it or throwing in self-scan or something. But seriously, I've seen this place at 5pm on a Saturday with on SD guy and one lane open.

Yes we tore out 1 checkout to put in 3 self checkouts that are coming later on this week or next and honstly the only time all the tills get used is during xmas but even then its normaly customer serivce desk and till 4 that only really get used

So I found out where they will be putting LV it will be taking banana republic space and the haircut place will be their storage area (source: the lady who works at hair de moda that moved closer to the hotel) also the old my pet location is apparently gonna be anaurora cannabis store or something

Wait what? LV is gonna open a store here in Edmonton?!?!?! I mean... not like I could accord a single item from there but wow!

They’ve been in Manulife for a long time. I know because my wife wastes a lot of dough there.

LV was never at Manulife, but they had products at Holts. This is a LV exclusive, but I would imagine they'll carry mostly entry products. I wouldnt expect to see anyone here in this city who would fork out 50k for a handbag which is a five year wait to to attain.

Indigo took down their boards and has a new storefront, now. Looks pretty similar, but the logo now sticks WAY out on a ledge. At least it prevents that whole corner from looking boarded up and dead.

A new toy store opened up on the top floor above the Santa Maria, looking like a "Christmas Toys" pop-up shop. Mostly fancy-looking artsy toys (like puzzles made of specially-shaped wooden bits that form 3-D sculptures) that cost way too much money to be practical. Some very expensive mobiles (I've seen those in a few stores now- is someone trying to start a trend?). And then a smattering of random pop culture stuff, like some Marvel & DC-themed paperweights and tiny miniature toys. Hilariously, I saw some Tinker Bell toys selling for $8 each that I've actually bought off of eBay for 5/$10- they even have the same kind of paint-jobs (ie. random, sweatshop-caliber iffy painting). That's kind of a random assortment of stuff.

Once again, the mall closed at 6 pm with HORDES of customers still wanting to shop- I have to wonder why they keep doing this. Maybe the tenants just don't want to have to cover the full spread of shifts?

Indigo took down their boards and has a new storefront, now. Looks pretty similar, but the logo now sticks WAY out on a ledge. At least it prevents that whole corner from looking boarded up and dead.

A new toy store opened up on the top floor above the Santa Maria, looking like a "Christmas Toys" pop-up shop. Mostly fancy-looking artsy toys (like puzzles made of specially-shaped wooden bits that form 3-D sculptures) that cost way too much money to be practical. Some very expensive mobiles (I've seen those in a few stores now- is someone trying to start a trend?). And then a smattering of random pop culture stuff, like some Marvel & DC-themed paperweights and tiny miniature toys. Hilariously, I saw some Tinker Bell toys selling for $8 each that I've actually bought off of eBay for 5/$10- they even have the same kind of paint-jobs (ie. random, sweatshop-caliber iffy painting). That's kind of a random assortment of stuff.

Once again, the mall closed at 6 pm with HORDES of customers still wanting to shop- I have to wonder why they keep doing this. Maybe the tenants just don't want to have to cover the full spread of shifts?

The mall was just NUTS on Black Friday, which I totally forgot about until I got there, lol. The Disney Store was doing a 20% off everything sale, so I managed to grab some stuff I was waiting on . Now I'm curious about some of their giant, super-expensive dolls- the ones that have been warming shelves for over a year. I see fewer of them now than before, but they tend to cycle them in and out of the back to save space sometimes.

There's some insanely expensive ($140!) set of the Princesses in their casual wear from Wreck-It Ralph 2, which would have been much cheaper that day, but it's too rich for my blood .

I'm not sure what kind of other deals the rest of the mall had, but pretty much everything was busy.

That tea shop (bubble tea?) right in front of the water park looks to be definitely closed, and has been for quite some time. It actually looks borderline abandoned- I can see some stuff on their counter tops.

Those three tiny self-scans at London Drugs have effectively killed their line-up problem... though oddly, actually require the use of an extra cashier they never seemed to be using any other time I've come by, which would have solved the problem in the first place ! I mean, most people are really only here for small purchases, or else they go to the specific department (photos, computers, etc.), so it's perfect for self-scans, which get bogged down with large orders. Though being "Cards Only" probably makes some people crazy.

I’ve been at the mall a few times over the past few weeks. Busy as usual for Christmas. I didn’t see Dark Magnus, though .

The “Men Are From Mars” pop up shops are in most of the malls now. I guess they just do Christmas and then get out.

Louis Vitton has an odd shop in the middle of a hallway, with “walls” made of cologne bottles. A new dollar store has opened by Winners. Same kind of stuff as the other one.

Looks like Banana Republic is closing- they’re advertising the Kingsway location now. The Royal Doultan has closed down, too. They were doing clearance last time, and is boarded up now.

The Disney Store has to be the busiest place in the mall. That store’s come a long way since it was in a tiny cubby upstairs.

The PetPlus looks like it has all-new staff. I don’t see the old crew.

I wish the 8000 stores selling phone accessories didn’t all train their staff to pounce on you the second you show up. And that they carried velvet bags for phones- I don’t need their glass covers- just something to avoid pocket-scratches, lol.

I didn’t notice anything else unusual. Maybe that hair/beauty place with the water pouring down the one wall closed? When did that happen?

Aurora Cannabis has signage up in the old pet store location next to Chapters/Indigo not sure what is happening. I didn't see any retail license applications with WEM as an address on the cities list prior to Oct 17, but I've seen job postings on Indeed for Aurora in WEM.

Huh- I knew Bombay was closing (leaving a MONSTER piece of mall real estate empty), but West49’s outlet has now closed. So did the rug place. I wasn’t expecting that. This corner now looks like a total dead zone.

At least Cacao 70 has finally opened, after what seemed like a year-long wait.

^WEM itself has had those plans, at least at one point (see this 2002 article):

City of Edmonton, Alberta, officials have given the already massive West Edmonton Mall permission to proceed with expansion plans.On Tuesday the Edmonton City Council agreed to rezone the mall from "shopping center" to "site-specific development control" status. The approval means freedom to pursue plans that will not only expand the center, but also make it a mixed-use project with retail, office and residential components.

West Edmonton Mall is already a 5.3 million-square-foot project, and the expansion will add 322,920 square feet of retail space; an 8,000-seat facility for sports, trade shows and conventions; a 12-story office building; and a 600-unit apartment building. Parking will also be added.

"There is a growing international trend towards creating lifestyle centers," said the mall's general manager and CFO, Gary Hanson, in a written statement. "The approval allows us to proceed with our vision that will complement our existing features and make our facility even healthier."

The additions will probably be completed in 10 years, Sheri Clegg, a spokeswoman for West Edmonton Mall, told SCT Newswire.

I feel like I haven't heard any updates on that in a billion years, though.

“Son, one day this will be an iconic structure shaping Edmonton’s skyline.”

Meant: Could WEM’s NE and SE corners maybe be developed for residential use? (Is recalled approval for something that I thought was like another hotel but didn’t realize that they’d already considered residential.)

(The west side has parkades in place so I doubt they’d consider ripping those down. However that bridge had to come down so maybe there will lifespan issues arising that will create opportunities.)

Well, since it worked so well downtown, why doesn't the city subsidize the towers and put in a CRL in the area to pay for them?What's good for a hockey team should at least be as good as the #1 attraction in the city.

All the kiosks that were on the lower level phase 4 in front of Indigo are gone. What happened ? As well it looks like Sweet Jesus beside Timmies is gone or almost close to going. The location in Southgate has a sign saying" closed for maintenance" and I have walked past several times at W E M and no one is there.

Noah's ark was built by volunteers...... The Titanic was built by professionals.

I think they close the local shop kiosk section every year after Christmas now.

I noticed Sweet Jesus being closed, too. It’s SUPER expensive for what’s basically an elaborate regular sundae, and has the worst location ever (you can’t eat that standing up, and there’s no seating), so not surprising. It’s hilarious given how long it took to open that location, though. I remember talking about it in here for like a year before they finally opened it, lol.

I think they close the local shop kiosk section every year after Christmas now.

I noticed Sweet Jesus being closed, too. It’s SUPER expensive for what’s basically an elaborate regular sundae, and has the worst location ever (you can’t eat that standing up, and there’s no seating), so not surprising. It’s hilarious given how long it took to open that location, though. I remember talking about it in here for like a year before they finally opened it, lol.

Whenever I see a sign that says "closed for maintenance" my 20 years experience in retail tells me that maintenance is not the reason for a closure. Maybe I 'll be proven wrong

Noah's ark was built by volunteers...... The Titanic was built by professionals.

Man, soooooooooooo much of the mall is boarded up right now. February is always so depressing in malls, lol. Two giant blocked areas in the main upper hallway, the entire wing by Sears is closed (both floors, plus 2 stores on the lower floor), the old pet store hasn't reopened as a pot shop yet, and the whole "Local Stores" area is empty again. Still nothing over by that frozen yogurt/crackling ice cream spot. I still remember when there was a sit-down Edo over there- that's where I first tried their stuff (I used to eat in the foodcourt location all the time when I worked at Zellers).

Weird question: Anyone have pictures of the upper area of that wing, before the Coin & Stamp moved? I remember there being a little alcove where there was a rug store or something, but I can't quite remember what it looked like?